The present invention relates to vehicles employing clutch pedals to engage and disengage a clutch, and more particularly to mechanisms for assisting a driver in operating the clutch pedal.
Conventional manual transmission vehicles have a clutch which disengages the transmission from the engine, which is used while shifting gears and when the vehicle is standing still while in gear. While a manual transmission is desirable over an automatic transmission for some, due to the better fuel economy and the lower cost, the automatic transmission still has the convenience of allowing one to stop at a traffic light without having to hold down a clutch pedal while stopped and in gear.
Many vehicle operators prefer to keep a vehicle in gear when stopped at a traffic light or stopped in heavy traffic in anticipation of starting the vehicle moving forward. However, when a vehicle is stopped in traffic or at a traffic light, the operator must hold down the clutch the entire time if he wishes to keep the vehicle in gear while stopped. If there are many traffic lights or the operator is in a traffic jam, then the leg which holds in the clutch pedal can become fatigued.
Thus, it is desirable to have a clutch pedal assembly where one may wait in a traffic jam or at a stop light with a manual transmission in gear, but without the need to constantly apply foot pressure to the clutch pedal while waiting to begin moving again.
In its embodiments, the present invention contemplates a clutch pedal locking assembly for use with a clutch pedal in a vehicle, with the clutch pedal actuable by a vehicle operator between a clutch engagement position and a clutch disengagement position. The clutch pedal locking assembly includes a latch assembly mounted to the vehicle adjacent to the clutch pedal, selectively securable to the clutch pedal when the clutch pedal is in the clutch disengagement position, and an activation apparatus switchable between an activation position and a deactivation position. The clutch pedal locking assembly also includes a transmitting apparatus connected between the latch assembly and the activation apparatus, with the transmitting apparatus causing the latch assembly to be not secured to the clutch pedal when the activation apparatus is in the deactivation position, and the transmitting apparatus causing the latch assembly to be secured to the clutch pedal when the activation apparatus is in the activation position and the clutch pedal is in the disengagement position, whereby the clutch pedal will remain in the disengagement position until the activation apparatus is switched to the deactivation position.
The present invention further contemplates a method of selectively securing a clutch pedal in a vehicle that is driven by a vehicle operator, with the clutch pedal movable by the vehicle operator between a clutch engagement position and a clutch disengagement position, the method comprising the steps of: actuating a switch apparatus from a deactivation state to an activation state; communicating the activation state to a latch assembly; moving the clutch pedal to the clutch disengagement position; and securing the latch assembly to the clutch pedal to maintain the clutch in the disengagement position until the actuating switch apparatus is moved from the activation state to the deactivation state.
An embodiment of the present invention allows a vehicle operator to engage a lock device that will hold a clutch pedal in its disengaged position once the vehicle operator depresses the clutch pedal from its engaged position.
An advantage of the present invention is that a vehicle operator can actuate the locking device and depress the clutch pedal to its disengaged position, while waiting at a traffic light or in heavy traffic, and remove his foot from the clutch pedal without the clutch pedal engaging the vehicle""s clutch. In this way, the vehicle operator may rest his leg while waiting to begin moving again without having to take the transmission out of gear.
Another advantage of the present invention is that it is a low cost alternative to an automatic transmission that provides the advantage of not having to hold ones foot on the clutch while stopped in traffic or at a traffic light.